Inked Flowers
by insomniatic-titans
Summary: A fanfiction based on tumblr user nakamatoo's Ereannie AU of Eren owning a flower shop next to a tattoo shop Annie works at.
1. The Girl That Saved Me From Being Roadki

Mitras street was as calm as it was cheerful. All of the sidewalks along the street had been re-done, as well as the road which now no longer made a sound when you drove over it and wasn't a dingy grey but now a brilliant black with yellow streaks. 

Eren sported a calm face as he walked to work once again. Along the walkway he spotted the small trees he had asked city hall if he could plant. Even though they denied his request at first it wasn't like him to give up, so he got his permission. But the main reason he was allowed was because his friend Armin, who works at city hall, pulled some strings. 

It was always nice to see the other businesses next to his shop. Most of them were owned by friends of his. His sister Mikasa worked at a music store called No Treble that her boyfriend Jean owned which was at the end of the road. A cafe called Springles was run by Connie Springer and Sasha Braus, known in high school as the best couple. 

Smelling the scent of daisies and sunflowers, Eren stopped. He reached Petal To The Metal, his plant shop. Of course he called it a plant shop instead of a flower shop because Jean always mocked him of how "Flowers are for pansies." He always responded with "Tell me that the next time my sister catches you listening to Iggy," and that always made him shut up real quick. 

Before entering, he heard the sound of a truck slowing to a stop across the street. The pickup was large and white with the name of the company, Military Movers, painted on in green and ivory. Their symbol seemed to be a unicorn on what looked like some kind of shield. 

Who was brainstorming that idea? What does the Military have to do with a unicorn anyways? 

As the back of the vehicle opened and two tall guys about Eren's age jumped out. One of them was pretty buff and had short blonde hair. He was wearing one of the muscle shirts with the words I came in like a Reiner ball on it. The next guy next to him was a bit taller and for some reason gave off this sort of vibe that made him seem nervous despite his size. The giant had dark brown hair and hazel green eyes. 

Eren knew that someone was going to start a new store across from his sooner or later so he thought he might as well introduce himself and began walking across the street. 

I wonder what they're like. They don't seem like ass holes...or Jean. I mean they're the same thing b- 

"Watch where you're going!" someone yelled at him as he was yanked to the side walk. 

"Hey, what are you do-" Eren retorted before falling on top of whoever saved him. 

As he looked down the person happened to be a short girl with rather blue eyes and a blonde bun. She was dressed in a light blue hoodie and a pair of sweatpants which didn't really show off her form. But Eren knew she was definitely strong enough to yank him across the street before a car hit him. 

There was a pause between them as they laid on the sidewalk in a rather risque position, Eren on top of her. Her eyes were staring up at his green ones but quickly darted away. 

"U-Um can you get off me? It's really fucking dirty lying on the ground," she asked awkwardly. 

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." 

He quickly fumbled to his feet and put out his hand to help her up. 

"Here," he offered. 

The girl looked him up and down, now getting a full view of him. He was mid height, had shaggy brown hair, and Caribbean blue eyes that pulled her in. The boy had one of those smiles that made him look friendly but she was just confused by it. Either way, she took his hand. 

"...Thanks." 

"No problem. I mean I should be the one thanking you. You kinda just saved me from becoming roadkill! Oh yeah, I'm Eren by the way. I own the shop across the street from yours." 

"You mean that plant place?" She asked. 

"Wow, you're the first person to call it that. Usually people say it's a flower store and I get called girly or something…" 

"What's so girly about flowers anyways? They have male and female reproductive parts so it's pretty gender neutral, right?" 

"Heh, yeah pretty much. Oh, I never caught your name," Eren asked, dusting the dirt off his hands from being on the ground. 

"Annie. I work here," she responded, gesturing to the empty building behind her, "Well, I mean I'm going to work here. I don't work in an empty building." 

The young gardener chuckled a bit, "I figured you didn't. So what is this place gonna be anyways?" 

Annie saw her two friends approaching them. 

"A tattoo place but I don't own it. Reiner's in charge while Bertholdt and I do the inking." 

Reaching them, the more macho of the two spoke up. 

"I'm Reiner and this is Bertholdt. You aren't hitting on Annie, are you?" 

"W-What? N-No! I was um...I was just going to see who was moving into the building because I work across the street from here," Eren stuttered nervously. 

The guy in the muscle shirt snickered, "You mean that flower sho-" 

"It's a plant store Reiner," Annie interrupted. 

"What's the difference?" 

Bertholdt came forward and spoke up, "Well flowers are a specific kind of plant while plants are just overall lots of different kinds of things…" 

There was a pause between the four for a minute until the owner broke the silence. 

"Anyways, welcome to our place. We're gonna call it the Tattoomb...Get it? Because of Egyptian tombs and tatt-" 

"Yeah, I get it. Well, I think I do. Anyways, I uh, I gotta get back before anyone comes to buy something. Nice to meet you guys. B-Bye Annie," Eren communicated before making his way across the street, this time looking both ways before crossing. 

Annie thought it was pretty funny how he looked like a confused little duckling trying to cross the road. She snorted quickly and smiled a tiny bit. 

"Someones got a crush on flower boy." 

"For the last time, they're plants, not flowers. Is it that hard to get that through your thick skull…," the girl asked condescendingly. 

"Nahh, I'm fine. Me and Bert'll just leave you to your fawning over plant boy," Reiner spat back, walking back to the back of the truck with his friend, leaving Annie alone to her thoughts. 

Meanwhile, Eren was panicking in his shop. 

Holy shit she was amazing. Annie... I wonder what her last name is? Maybe I could look her up? No, that would be creepy… Her hair was so beautiful and her eyes, oh God. Did I embarrass myself too much? I'm such an idiot I swear I couldn't even talk to her friends! Ugh! Get yourself together Er- 

"Eren!" 

"Huh? Oh it's just you..."


	2. A Tombstone

"Were you expecting someone else? I told you I was coming today."

"Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that! Sorry Armin."

The blond sighed and put his rather extravagant suitcase on the table next to the cash register. After his long day of work being penned up in the crazed city hall, Armin decided to visit his childhood friend.

"Dude, I still don't understand why you need something that fancy. I mean wouldn't a backpack do fine?"

"Eren, this isn't high school anymore. I can't just slack off. What would the mayor think?"

The florist glared at him, "You mean the same mayor that hosted All You Can Wear Bolo Tie Day?"

"They were very stylish!"

"Right, and that's exactly why you wear one isn't it?"

Armin looked away furiously and straightened his blue bolo tie that was given to him by yours truly.

"So anyways, why were you all freaked out when I came in? I saw a bunch of pots and stuff tipped over and now your hair's all messed up too."

Right, I was thinking about her. Did I really make all this mess though? Damn, I'm pretty klutzy…Eren thought.

"Alright, hear me out. There was this gi-"

"Oh God, here we go again Eren..."

"No, she was so different though! Nothing like the others!" He pleaded his friend to listen.

"First it was Historia and then you found out she was lesbian. Then it was Ms. Ral, our guidance counselor, until you discovered she was married only after you asked her to prom. And after all that you thought you were into guys because you had no luck with girls and asked Marco out but he dumped you a day after when he found out you hated broadw-"

Eren fumed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it! I suck at relationships, but Annie's different alright?"

"What about her?" The shorter of the two asked.

"I...I don't know. She was strong and pretty standoffish, but for some reason she defended me when her friend Reiner made fun of my shop even though she knew me for only five minutes really. I'm the one freaking out over this and she's probably over there totally fine just...I don't know, being cool or something?"

"Did she have a blue hoodie, sweatpants, and blonde hair?"

"Yeah! How did you know!?" Eren asked curiously.

"She's coming towards your shop right now."

"Haha, that's so like h-Wait...What!?"

The next moment Eren dashed from his place and tried to pick up all the pots he knocked over coming in as an attempt to clean his store up. Even though he tried to tidy up there was water spilt everywhere, it smelled like fertilizer, and a cactus fell over which probably was a health hazard.

"Can't you help me!?"

Armin looked at him as if he were crazy,"Do you really think I'm going to try lifting up a cactus?"

As they were arguing the glass door opened and a chime sounded in the store. Annie walked in and stopped when she found Eren and his friend bantering as they cleaned up.

The short girl shifted awkwardly, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at a-DON'T STEP ON THAT!" he hollered as she walked near them, almost tripping over the prickly plant. "But,uh, what do you need?"

Moving back, the tattooist ran and jumped over the cactus, then approached them.

"I need your wifi password because ours isn't set up yet. I already found what network is yours."

Eren looked at her in surprise, "How'd you know it was mine? Mine isn't that obvious."

"With a name like Itsagenderneutralhobby it was pretty easy to guess. Also, the signal was the strongest." Annie answered, smirking.

Eren hit Armin in the shoulder and whispered to him, "I thought you said it wasn't obvious!"

"Oh yeah, who's your friend? Nice, uh, man jewelry..."

"See, she thinks the bolo tie is nice."

"This is Armin. He works for the mayor, hence the ugly circle tie."

Armin glared at his so called friend. "Nice to meet you Annie," the man with the bowl cut responded, introducing himself.

Her icy blue eyes bore into Armin's soul, or so he claims, as they stood across from each other to Erens disappointment.

"So, uh...about that password! It's...well. Uh...let me write it down for you," Eren cut in then ran to the back of the register to get some paper and a pen.

After scribbling out the code very darkly on the sheet he handed it to Annie.

"...The password is ahorseissleepingwithmysister? Is your sister into beastiality or-"

"Wha-No! Not at all! It's just her...boyfriend...looks and sounds like a horse."

"But he isn't a horse..?" she asked in disbelief to a panicking Eren.

Armin, who was still standing there, cut in, "He's talking about our friend Jean. They've been rivals since middle school and he's dating Mikasa, Erens sister. He owns the music store on this street."

"You jealous, plant boy?"

The brunet put up his hands defensively, "What, me? No way! Why would I be jealous of that prick!?"

"Well what I'm guessing is that you aren't exactly popular with the ladies as that so called stallion dating your sibling."

Eren stood looking absolutely embarrassed, "I am very popular with both men and women!"

She smirked playfully, "Alright. Tell me about one of your past relationships that have been successful."

Armin tried to contain himself but burst out in laughter and bent over trying to hold it in.

"A successful relationship that Eren's been in!? I would tell you but most of them are...well actually all of them were just failed crushes. Can I tell her the stories Eren?"

"Oh, hey Armin! Would you look at the time! It's 3:00, and you know what that means."

"It means that it's 3:00?"

"No, it means you um...you have to go...get your bolo tie cleaned!" Eren urged him, his eyes darting to the door.

The two blonds stared at him for a second but his friend got the message, "Alright, alright, I can take a hint."

After his friend left, Eren pushed his back against the door and sighed. Realizing the girl was still there staring at him, he stood up and walked straight back to her without paying attention to the fallen plants.

"Sorry about Armin. Sometimes he can be a real s-SHIT!" He yelled out in pain, tripping over the cactus.

Annie cocked an eyebrow and made her way over to him quickly, "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, just f-ugh fine!"

"Don't be fucking stupid, you have needles all over your shin!"

"No really, I'm o-"

Without being able to finish his sentence, the tattooist hoisted him up and slumped him over her shoulder, "First aid kit. Where is it?"

"Heh, funny story about that. I don't uh...I don't have one."

"That's really smart plant boy. You carry poisonous plants and cactuses and yet you have no first aid."

"Actually, you say cacti." He retorted condescendingly.

"I can't believe this! Half of your left leg is covered in needles and all you can do is give me a lecture about how to correctly address a group of plants. Fuck it."

Annie started dragging him to the door. It looked like she had no trouble holding him up. For someone her size she was pretty strong in Erens eyes.

"Hold on where are you dragging me Annie?"

"Where do you think I'm taking you? The circus? I'm taking you inside my workplace where we have proper first aid."

He relaxed only to be frantic again, "Oh that's fin-Wait, why are we going across the street? There's still cars coming!"

"So? It'll take longer if we wait. Hold on, but don't dig your nails into my shoulders."

"Annie, no this isn't safe! Annie! Stop!" He pleaded but she began her trek across the road.

As the two were slowly making their way to the other side of the street about three cars abruptly stopped and honked. One driver rolled down their window and yelled at them. A Toyota Camry almost crashed into a Honda Pilot but Annie didn't seem to mind.

 _RING_

Reiner and Bertholdts eyes darted to the door.

"Reiner, where's the medical shit?"

"Well hello to you too. What the hell happened to him?" The buff blond asked with a smirk.

"Idiot tripped on his own cactus."

"Ouch. Why come here? You gonna cover it up with some ink?"

Eren laughed awkwardly, "Heh, well um I don't have a first aid kit."

"Man, are you serious? Everyone needs one. Alright Annie, it's in the back near the fire extinguisher."

She nodded, dragged Eren to her station in the back end of the shop, and roughly sat him in her chair. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't touch anything. I don't want you tripping over my needle."

"That's not really...possible." He tried to say but she rushed out of the room as fast as she entered.

The room became silent and Eren could feel a draft. He stood up and quietly walked around, looking through the girls workplace. Most of the counters looked empty but he knew it was probably because she kept everything in shelves. The only thing he found was a sketch book the was beat up and had a ripped cover.

Flipping through the pages he was amazed. Her sketches were very crudely drawn and the graphite was blended all over the paper. It was probably Spread like that because of Annie's body oils from her fingers touching the page.

Although it was messy, Eren could see that it was a drawing of Forget-Me-Not flowers with their stems spun around...a tombstone? The stone had no name but the drawing seemed like it was very important to her. He could see many erased lines that were still present and that the paper was rumpled.

As he flipped to the next page he barely heard her come in.

"What are you doing with my drawings?"

The boy jumped back in surprise, "Huh? Oh, sorry! I uh...you're really good! Where did you learn to draw like this? The flowers look so real and the tombs-"

"Get away from my fucking book and sit down..." She ordered darkly and stalked her way over to hide it away in a cabinet, "Why did you look at it? You don't just go through people's property. Why did you have to open to that drawing of all of the hundreds of pages I have in there?"

Annie roughly opened the first aid kit and took out some tweezers.

"W-Wait, you aren't just going to rip them out one by one, are y-"

"Why would you go through my shit! Don't you have any sense of privacy!?" She fumed, and plucked a needle out, earning a scream from Eren.

"Annie! I'm s-sorry! Please! I didn't know it was that important to you, really!"

"Of course it is! You have no idea who the hell it's for! You don't know anything about me! Why do you want to just jump right in to my life!?"

"Because I...Because I kind of...I don't know Annie. I'm just curious about you, alright? You're like the first girl other than my sister who doesn't think I'm a prick or something! Look, I didn't know. I can go if you want and you never have to talk to me again, okay?"

While Erens leg was throbbing in pain Annie just looked silently at the ground for a minute.

 _What is she thinking about?_ He thought.

"My mother..."

He was confused, "What about her?"

"It's hers."

"Wait, what? What's hers?"

"The damn drawing you were so fucking curious about. It's her tombstone."

"Annie, I-"

"You satisfied with your answer? Is that what you wanted out of me?"

There was a moment of silence and the air around them felt tense. He felt rather guilty for prying so much but he wanted to know her better.

"Listen Annie, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that touchy of a subject for you. If...If it makes you feel better I lost my mom when I was younger. I know it's hard to think about them."

"It wouldn't be so hard if people didn't try to poke around my past." She averted while taking out some Elmers glue from the box.

"Hold on, what's that for? Wait, why are you slathering it over my leg?"

Annie snorted as she applied the white substance, "Ever heard of waxing before?"

His eyes widened and he instantly turned paranoid.

"Isn't this going to h-"

 _RIP_

"Argh! What the hell!? Are you trying to rip my legs off!?"

"Shh. I'm trying to focus on this. You don't want me to rip off your skin, right?"

"No, not really!"

"Then stay still plant-boy."

Thus began Erens waxing treatment and many minutes of pain.


	3. The Bet

Three weeks had passed since Eren and Annie met each other at the front of that tattoo parlor but they hadn't been in contact as much as they had. On the other hand, his sister and Jean seemed to be interacting much more than usual.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You need help with that, Mika? It looks pretty heavy."

"Jean, I'm fine. I think I'm capable of carrying these vinyls by myself," The Asian girl told her boyfriend, knowing that he only wanted her not to hurt herself.

Most of the time he was sweet, but other times he tended to be too cautious. Mikasa and Jean were trying to rearrange the records section of their shop and needless to say he got worried about her doing mundane tasks around their store even though she could obviously handle it.

"It's not that you aren't capable of doing it yourself, I just don't want you to trip and fall or something..."

She sighed and set the twenty vinyls she was holding in her arms on the ground, "Alright, then I guess you'll be able to pick them all up by yourself."

"O-Of course I can! I'm the man here!"

"Well? What are you waiting for then?" Mikasa asked, ignoring the somewhat misogynistic comment.

When the blond picked them up he smiled smugly, "See, not hard at all."

"Then why are your legs trembling?"

He tried to keep his balance but the records kept falling from the stack in his arms and his knees buckled beneath him. As the boy glanced up meekly, blushing in embarrassment, his girlfriend tried to contain her laughter.

"H-Hey! It wasn't my fault that you, uh, stacked them unevenly!"

She raised her eyebrows, "Did I now?"

"Besides, it's not like lifting things is the only way to prove you're strong!"

"Is this supposed to be some kind of bet?"

"Yeah! How about this: we both get tattoos. First one to cry loses."

Mikasa crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, "Aren't bets supposed to have prizes or something...?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I forgot!" He remembered and put his chin between his index finger and thumb, deep in thought, "How about this...if I win then...you have to kiss me in front of your brother."

"I guess, but that's your funeral," She concluded.

"Hey wait, what do you want if you win the bet?"

"It's a...surprise."

"Like you don't always surprise me enough," He laughed, looking at his girlfriend with a goofy grin that you'd think belonged to a child.

The girl deadpanned and stared at him, "You're willing to permanently get your skin inked just to prove you're stronger? What would you even get anyways?"

"Like you said, it's a surprise. Trust me. Deal?"

"Alright. Lets go to that one that just opened."

After shaking on their bet, the couple closed shop for the day and walked side-by-side to the new parlor.

Titanium Ink looked like any average tattoo studio, but the atmosphere was stuffy and tense. They couldn't tell if it was because of the black walls and linoleum floods or the grunge music playing through the compressed overhead speaker.

Near the left side of the door were two benches upholstered with dark brown leather as well as a group of small ottomans that formed into a makeshift coffee table. Ahead of them was a slender man at the front desk with his hand on his face, looking almost lethargic or tired to say the least.

"This is a tattoo place, right?" The two asked each other, but the employee at the counter brought his head up to respond.

"Oh, uh, yeah! Does it look like it isn't? I told Reiner we should have put that it was on the sign..."

"Nah, it's fine. You just look nervous for some reason. Oh, but yeah, we want tattoos.

"S-Sure. Hold on a minute," The brunet replied, slowly rising to his feet and towering over the couple before walking to the back.

When he was gone the couple stood there silently as A Wolf at the Door by Radiohead blared through the speakers. It was rather relaxing but it wasn't their favorite genre of music. About two minutes had passed by the time the tall brunet and a buff blond guy came back out.

"What can I help you guys with? Hell, what am I saying? You came here to get a tattoo, right?"

"I,uh...what else would we come for?" Jean asked, a bit unsure of what the stronger man could be talking about.

"Some studios also do piercings and shit like that. I'm a pretty brave guy…"

We can tell Mikasa and him thought.

"...but I'm not into sticking metal into someone's skin. Anyways, what do you guys want done?"

The Asian girl stared straight up into the owner's almost golden eyes and hastily responded, "A grasshopper."

"I knew you were go-Wait, what are you getting?" Jean asked, shocked by her choice.

She didn't acknowledge his question, keeping her head forward and focused on the man in front of her.

"Seems fair enough. Alright, Bertholdt's gonna do yours so follow him to his room down there, second door on the right. Guess that leaves you with me, long-face."

Jean shrugged and pinched the bridge between his nose in frustration, "Why does everyone think I'm a horse…?"

"Hey, I never said anything about you being a horse. But now that you mention it…"

"Okay! Let's, uh, just get started with you injecting different colored inks into my skin, 'kay?"

"Whatever you say, Pony…"

As the two men walked into the room next to the one the other two entered the horse-like guy sighed loudly and dropped his head to the ground in defeat.

* * *

Eren couldn't get the cool-tempered tattooist out of his mind. It wasn't like he was obsessed or anything, but he found it hard to stop thinking about her.

The tan gardener stood near the front window of Petal To The Metal, carefully watering a potted columnea nematanthus, or goldfish plant, which proved to be impossible now that his thoughts were occupied with thoughts of Annie.

No matter how hard he tried, the flowers never bloomed from the potted plant and he almost gave up on it but he always went by the motto Everything deserves a second chance but by now he'd probably given it about seven chances.

His mouth hung ajar and his eyes were looking out the window, glassy and unfocused.

 **I'm not trying to stop a hurricane**

 **I'm not trying to shake the ground below**

Eren's phone chimed in his jean pocket, playing Home by American Authors. Though it was muffled by the denim pants it eventually pulled him out of his thoughts and he frantically searched his clothes for the device until fishing it out of his pocket and hastily answering it.

"H-Hello?"

"Eren. I need help."

"Mikasa? Is that you? You usually never need my help...wait, did that asshole hurt you or something!? Damn it, I knew he would sooner or l-"

"No! God, Eren, have some faith in him...but yeah, this has to do with him," His sister groaned and he could tell how frustrated she was even through the call.

"If he isn't screwing stuff up then what else could he possibly b-Hold on, is that him screaming in the background?"

"Yeah…don't laugh," She urged him, but he couldn't contain his laughter at his so-called enemy's pain. He cackled so hard that he dumped most of the watering can on the ground.

"Oh shit…"

"That's what you get for laughing."

"Whatever...Anyways, what do you need me for?" Eren grabbed a rag and started to wipe up the water on the white tile.

"We're getting tattoos. Actually, I already got mine, he's still getting his and it's not exactly going too well…"

As soon as he heard the word "tattoo" his mind clicked, "Coming!"

"What? I didn't even te-"

Before she could reply he hung up on her and headed out, not paying any attention to the huge mess he just left in the shop.

* * *

As Eren opened the door to Titanium, the first thing he heard was the yells of the guy dating his sister and what sounded like Reiner. Knowing where everything was from his previous trip there, the hazel eyed boy slipped through to the source of the noise.

Walking into the small room he found a shirtless Jean being held down firmly to a chair by Bertholdt and his sister while Reiner held a needle next to where his heart was that had a small blob of black and red.

"...Leave it for a second! Let it heal!"

Reiner grunted and glared at him, "We have to finish it. After a few minutes it'll stop hurting so just calm down, damn it…"

"Yeah, you said that last time but it still hurts like hell!"

"God, just calm down!"

As he started to insert the needle again, Jean shouted and tried to move from their grasp so Eren decided to walk up and hold him down in the middle of him and Mikasa.

"Oh great, what's he doing here?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Get off your high horse, Jean! Oh wait, you are the horse," He cheekily replied to Jeans question and Reiner and Mikasa laughed a bit, calming the tense room. "Why are you two even getting tattoos in the first place?"

Mikasa rolled her eyes and fixed them on her boyfriend, "We made some bet that if I cried before him then I would kiss him in front of you."

Eren snorted and furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief, "And he seriously thought he'd win? For a horse, you'd think he'd be trained and learn his lesson by now, huh?"

"Yeah, well you…! J-Just shut up and get off me, blockhead," Jean warned him, blushing profusely because he lost in front of his nemesis.

"What were you even getting in the firs-..."

When Mikasa's brother looked at shirtless boy's chest he could see the outline for tattoo of a scarf that looked to be wrapping around where his heart was.

"Are...Are you serious?"

Jean couldn't respond out of embarrassment and was about to turn his head away so it couldn't be seen but Mikasa leaned in front of Eren and kissed Jean slowly before pulling away and looking the other direction.

"I know you didn't win but...you really...you didn't need to get a tattoo of that, Jean."

"I, uh, well...I wanted to, Mikasa."

Breaking the moment between the couple, Eren made a fake gag and turned away, "Yeah...I think you guys are fine without me. I'll just get the hell out of here before you decide to breed anymore horses."

"Hey! What the hell is that supposed to m-"

Before Jean could retort to Eren's snarky comment the door shut and he was outside in the hallway. Now that it seemed to be just the two of them he softly grabbed her face and brought it to his until someone interjected.

"Not that I don't enjoy a little lip action, but I'd rather not see it while I'm working so…"

The two instantly broke away from each other realizing that Reiner and Bertholdt were still in the room.

* * *

Outside the door, Eren slid down to sit against the wall and put his head in his hands, feeling disgruntled after seeing his sister kiss someone he hated. It was enough to make him gag, in fact, he did gag.

"Are you going to vomit? I really don't want to be the one to clean it up."

When the gardener looked up from his hands the short beauty in a blonde bun he couldn't stop thinking about appeared before him, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed over her chest. The sight of her made him scrabble up to his feet.

"Me? Vomit? Pfft, no way. I haven't vomited since that time Connie dared me to-So..uh, how's it goin'?" He began to ramble until he realized that telling a girl about the time you last up-chucked wasn't the most attractive of things.

"I...fine I guess? I haven't gotten to do many tattoos recently. Maybe it's because people are weak."

"Heh, that's the reason that horse in there is screaming."

"Horse?"

Eren nervously scratched the back of his neck, "It's just some nickname I gave him."

"I guess most guys in this city aren't that strong then…"

"W-What? I'm...I'm definitely strong! Way stronger than that asshole in there who's somehow dating my sister!"

"Oh? He's dating your sister? That's probably why you're so hostile around him," She concluded.

"Never mind that! What I'm trying to say is that I'm strong! Well, stronger than him at least…"

Annie snorted and peered at him, "Do you want to test that then?"

"Su-Wait, test? Test how?"

Before he was able ask more, the girl dragged him into her room and sat him on her chair.

The last time he was in here he made the mistake of prodding around her stuff, pissing her off and not only did that make her depressed and angry but caused her to yank the cactus needles out of his body in the most excruciating way possible so now he knew he couldn't move.

"Take it off," She ordered, standing in front of him impatiently, though he was confused to say the least.

"Huh? Take w-"

"The shirt, obviously."

Annie said that in the most straightforward way possible, her eyes unwavering.

"A-Are you sure?"

She sighed and walked up to him, reaching from under his grey t-shirt and lifting it up over his head gracefully, "Eren, I've done tattoos near almost every orifice on the human body. Do you think I'm worried about seeing you without a shirt on?"

He broke down into a cold sweat, "You've seen other guys without their shirts on, too? I...I probably don't look as good as the buff guys who get tattoos though, huh?"

Eren expected her to maintain that same non-expressive face she usually had but after looking away from the shirt he had seen put on the counter he found Annie staring directly at his chest looking almost frozen in place with her cheeks filling with color.

His eyes widened in surprise, "Annie? Are you okay? If it's that bad I can put it ba-"

"Are you fucking stupid?"

"Huh?"

"Sometimes I find it unbelievable how stupid you can be, Jesus Christ…"

He had no time to ask what she meant before she shoved the sketch book he was once forbidden to look at right into his chest, "Just choose something you want me to tattoo on you…"

After handing it to him the tattooist fled to a cabinet and grabbed a new needle and some rubber gloves.

Eren flipped through the pages again, not expecting to see anything new until he spotted a sketch of a some flowers he could identify: a yellow carnation, a delphinium, a geranium, and a...yellow tulip. That really didn't fit in with the others.

Were these supposed to mean something? He wondered before she rushed over, shut the book, and grabbed it from him.

"I forgot, I can't do this right now."

"You can't give me a tattoo? What was that?"

"It was nothing you should be worried about...you should go."

"Oh, okay. Is something wrong, though? You seem kind of out of it."

Ignoring his worry, Annie walked over to a cabinet and tried to stick it on the top shelf but she was too small.

"Do you need some help with that or…"

"It's fine...I mean I'm fine. Just...can you go? I'm busy right now."

"What do you mean you're busy? There's no one here."

"Can't you take a hint?"

She resorted to backing away and throwing it to the top, closing the cabinet door, and using a small padlock to keep it shut.

She must really not want anyone to get in there…

"I'll just go then," He responded and left but peeked his head through the door frame one last time, "And Annie? Don't bottle up your feelings, okay?"

After she was sure Eren was gone, the blonde shut the door, unceremoniously ripped out her ponytail holder, letting all her light locks come down, and brushed her fingers through her hair from forehead all the way back.

Why did I even draw that stupid sketch in the first place? Why didn't I just scrap it like all those other drawings of flowers I've made?

Every time she tried to crumple up that page, tear it apart, or even burn it with a lighter, she couldn't bring herself to do it and she didn't know why.

What am I trying to rip out, that sketch or him?


	4. Adagio

Springles Cafe was a place where everyone knew they could relax. Whether it was the calming atmosphere and ambient noises of the place or those knödel Sasha makes, it was a hangout for most young adults in Walls.

For the gardener, it was where he met Armin, and sometimes Mikasa, when one of them wanted to discuss something even though they all know it was mostly him who had the problems.

Today Eren sat at his usual spot near the window waiting for his blond friend. His sister would have joined them, but ever since that fiasco with Jean she hasn't been in contact so it was only him and his best friend.

"Hey, Sasha!" The brunet asked loudly, signaling her from across the room, "Can I have one of those, uh, k-k..kuhnodel?"

She jogged over to him in her light brown apron and old torn up sketchers, "Eren, how many times do I have to tell you that they're knödel? Just call them dumplings. Connie used to suck at saying it too for some reason which is really weird because he's German..."

"I can really say it now, Sash! Knawdle!" The boy behind the counter cut in as he was boiling some of the food that he couldn't say the name of.

"You're hopeless, Connie!"

He stuck his tongue out at her and laughed, "Love ya' too, babe!"

"So, uh...can I get some then?" Eren asked hopefully.

"Duh! Jeez, Eren, why do you gotta be so formal all the time?" She smirked and walked back to check if her boyfriend accidentally let the potato dumplings boil over.

They were a sweet couple, but probably to the point where you'd get a toothache if you were around them too long. No one knew public displays of affection better than the two of them and for the longest time it made Eren jealous. Hell, it _still_ made him jealous.

After a few minutes, Sasha brought his food and he began to chow down when the door burst open and his short friend rushed in, hair messed up and bolo tie uneven.

"What's wrong!? What's the problem!? Is someone dead!? Did your apartment flood because you forgot to turn off your sink again!? You said it was important! Why are you so calm right now!?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, Armin! Why are freaking out?"

"Are...Are you kidding me? Eren...you called me two times telling me it was an emergency! What the heck is wrong!?"

"Dude, just sit down and I'll tell you."

Armin hastily pulled out the wooden chair and sat down, eyes wide open, ready to hear the issue.

"So...you remember An-"

"Oh no. No! You did NOT just call me because of girl problems during work again! Eren, I told Mayor Smith it was an emergency! I told him that someone had...d-died or something! What could be so important about her that you made me come all the way here!?"

The tan boy looked away guiltily before speaking again, "She saw me shirtless…"

"I...You're hopeless, Eren," He told him before hitting his face against the table.

"She said something like that too! Does that mean you know what she's thinking about, Armin!? Pleaaaaaaaaase tell me!"

At that moment, Armin was on his last nerve, but he hated seeing his friend all shriveled up and hopeless.

"Look, I can't tell you what she's thinking, Eren. It's not like I read minds or something…"

"Shi-"

"But...I have a plan."

Hearing those words, the overly excited brunet sat up in his chair and rested his face on his fists, listening intently to his friend.

"I heard from Marco that Annie joined his dance studio. She usually goes there to work out in the afternoon."

"So...what you're trying to say is that I should be a ballerina or something?"

Armin sighed, rubbed his temples, and continued, "No...I really don't even think you'd be capable of that, no offense. Across the street from it is a gym so, uh, maybe you could just _happen_ to be working out there and see h-"

"Oh my god, Armin, you're a fucking genius! This plan is flawless!"

"Yeah...flawless."

Immediately, Eren got up and pushed his chair back, "I'm gonna go do that right now!"

"Wait, Eren!," Armin called, but before he could hear it, the impulsive guy was already gone.

After the blockhead left, the blond sighed and a girl with pigtails wearing an apron walked up to him and began to pick up Eren's plates.

"What's got him so riled up this time?"

"Oh, hey Mina. Women problems. You know, the usual."

"Ah, thought so," She replied, sitting down opposite him, "You look like you were kinda wanting to say something but he bolted before you could."

"Yeah...This girl that he's pining for, Annie, has these two protective friends."

Mina shrugged, "Yeah, so?"

"He's going to go to this gym so he can have some kind of excuse to talk to her, but he wouldn't wait so I could tell him that they train there."

True, Eren was rather pigheaded, but of all the times to be too eager this one definitely took the cake.

"They couldn't be that bad, right?"

"Let's just say from what Marco told me it's safe to assume you shouldn't mess with them."

The girl stood back up slowly, pushed in her chair, and picked up the dishes again.

"Hope you remember your first-aid practice from high school, Armin. I gotta go or Sasha's gonna nag me again. Tell Marco I said 'Hi' if you see him."

"Mina, the fact that you've liked him has been painfully obvious since first grade. Just tell him you like him."

Before he could see her blush, the shy waitress swiveled around and scurried to the back like a mouse.

* * *

As _Adagio_ from Khachaturian's _Spartacus_ muffled through an old boom box, Annie closed her eyes and let her feet guide her. She could hear the platforms of her slightly worn-out pointe shoes patter against the Marley-covered floor of the dance studio as she chasséd to the left of the room, slowly raising her arms with ease like a bird flapping its wings.

Many things about dancing calmed the blonde down, be it the music or just the fluid movements. Each new step is more embellished than the one before as Annie smoothly extends her leg behind her, all while keeping perfect posture.

Though the damage under the beautiful light pink shoes were gruesome and unbearable, the pulchritudinous appearance of the dance itself distracted quite well. It was so easy to get lost in song and it was the one thing she felt defenseless doing, but she couldn't stop her love for the dance.

Just as Annie was doing a grand jeté, she felt eyes on her, causing her head to whip around, making her trip and fall on impact.

"Are you okay, Annie?"

"Let's see, I just fell on my ass, hurt my feet, and have dust all over me. Does that equate to 'being okay' in your book, Bodt?"

The girl could see his downcast brownish eyes as he hoisted her up off of the ground. Marco was the first person who found out she did ballet. It wasn't that she was ashamed , but more that she was scared of what others would think and that it would make her seem too feminine.

"Yeah, I guess that was pretty obvious, huh?"

"I'm guessing that because you so rudely interrupted me, you did it with a good reason...right?"

The tall tan guy straightened up and remembered, "Oh yeah! So you know how the studio is right across from that gym over there?" He asked, both of them turning to look out of the window.

"You mean Shadis' place? Yeah, my...friends...work out there. Why?"

"Apparently some guy just started going there today and when I went to go check it out everyone told me that he's _dreamily gazing at you through the window_! Isn't that romantic, Annie?"

"Romantic? I think the correct words you're looking for is borderline creepy."

The gym had a huge window that spanned across the whole front half of the building so anyone walking by could see which could either boost or break someone's self esteem.

"Hm."

"Oh, I know that smirk," Marco gloated cheekily.

"What smirk?"

"You make that face whenever you're thinking real hard."

"Look, I...think I know who that guy is, but I can't be sure. The person I'm thinking of is pretty impulsive and gets into figh-"

"Fights like that?"

Annie walked closer to the window and squinted her eyes, hoping to get a better view, "Yeah, it's Eren."

"Wait, hold up. Eren? As in Eren Jaeger?"

"Yeah. You know him from somewhere?"

"I dated him for, uh, give or take about a week before I dumped his uncultured behind on the road...figuratively."

The girl scoffed and sat next to the glass, staring out at the bold brunet, "Let me guess, he did something stupid."

"He said that Diana from Next To Normal was a bitch. Okay, first of all, she was going through a lot of issues so that was totally uncalled for and..."

Even though he kept ranting, all Annie could focus on was Eren who was trying not to get his ass beaten by a strong blond and tall tan guy.

 _Wait, why do those two look so familiar?_


	5. How To Impress a Chick

"Well, I definitely don't feel intimidated at all," Eren told himself quietly as he walked into the large gym with all the confidence he could muster up.

To say that he was daunted by the place was an understatement. Sure, he was a pretty strong guy, but in comparison to the people here, he looked like a twig.

Shadis's Gym was one of the toughest around. He heard stories about it from some of the regular occupants that occasionally bought plants from him. One that he heard often was about some guy who pissed Shadis off so much that the man picked him up by his head using only one hand.

The horticulturalist scanned the room, looking for a person he could work out next to that would make him look like less of a wimp.

 _Hey, look! He's really short! I'll go use that chin-up bar next to him._

Approaching the machine, the brunet could see the man in full view. He seemed like any normal person, but for some reason he gave off that "Ew-you're-dirty-so-fuck-off" kind of look to him. Pushing his black bangs away from his eyes, he stared at Eren for a second, then looked away as if he just saw someone covered in shit.

By the time he gripped his hands around the metal bar, the guy besides him stood up again and went on the identical machine next to him. To Eren's surprise, the man pulled himself up effortlessly, not breaking a single sweat.

 _W-What? How is he ev- Oh my god, he's doing it with only one hand now. Alright, Eren, you gotta look strong or everyone is gonna think you're a weak. This is high school all over again…_

With that new resolve, the florist held on as tight as physically possible and lifted his body. He looked like any normal person did when they exercised, but internally he wanted to scream out in agony.

Just as he was about to fall, two men approached him.

"Didn't think you had it in you, _plant_ boy."

Coming back to reality, the first thing he saw was Reiner and Bertholdt standing in front of him. Both of them were wearing light grey shorts, white t-shirts, and tennis shoes. The taller of the pair sweated profusely, but then again, he was always sweating.

"W-What? Oh, uh, this? Yeah, I use it all the time!" Eren spat out quickly, lying through his teeth, though his shaky voice gave it away.

Bertholdt tilted his head to the side skeptically, "But your arms are shaking…"

"That? That's nothing to worry about! I'm perfectly fine!"

Though he tried to convince them he was able to use the machine, his action said otherwise. No more than five seconds later, Eren's hands slipped off of the bar and he landed flat on the ground.

"…Don't judge me! Have you seen that guy?" The boy on the ground shouted to the guys above him, "He's like some kinda combination between John Cena, Jude Law, and Danny DeVito!"

"Who? Levi? Yeah, he's a shit kicker. 'Surprised he even let you work next to him. Last guy that asked got his ass kicked so hard he almost broke that window behind you."

"S-Still!"

Trying to conceal his laughter, Reiner offered his hand to the boy who took it reluctantly before suddenly getting jerked up to his feet in no time at all.

"Alright, cut the crap. It's pretty damn obvious you don't lift, so why are you here?"

Trying to avoid eye contact with the brute, Eren looked to the side which, conveniently, happened to be the window where he could see Annie from.

Following his trail of vision, the blond smirked, "So, you're really going for it, aren't ya'?"

"Huh?"

"I think what Reiner's trying to say is that you like Annie," Bert asked curiously, "…I think?"

 _Shit, they're on to me!_

Trying to play it off casually, Eren forced a much too exasperated laugh that caused him to choke, "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, she's right fucking there in the window and you were looking straight at her. Kinda obvious, don't you think?"

"N-No! I'm not some, uh, pervert or someone who goes to gyms just to spy on girls in…form fitting clothing and…lucid body movements…"

Because of his stuttered speech and awkward body language, it was pretty easy for the duo to tell that he was lying. The next thing Eren knew, the taller males walked a bit closer to him.

"You sure? Are you _really_ sure you weren't? Because me and Bertholdt hate liars. Right, Bert?"

"What? Oh, uh, yes. We hate them," The sweaty guy added, fidgeting.

After what seemed to be a minute of a very awkward silence, Eren owned up to his actions.

"Okay, I was looking at her! But that doesn't make me a pervert…right? I mean, yeah, she's really hot, but it's not like that's the only reason I was looking at her! She's-"

"Kind of a bitch?"

"Ye-Wait, no! How could you say that? She's totally pure. Look at her eyes!"

With an exaggerated sigh, Reiner hit Eren on the back with enough force to break a ceramic lamp, causing the hot tempered boy to be hurled forward onto the ground.

"What the hell!?"

"I'm helping you out."

"Helping me? You just falcon punched me so hard I could've died!"

"Yeah, and that's the point. You wanna get her attention, don't you? No offense, but your strategy so far of picking up chicks is fucking awful. Don't worry though, you got me to help you."

Eren's previously angered face turned into one of confusion, "You're going to help me? I thought you were gay or something…"

"Thanks for assuming, but yeah, I am. Doesn't mean I can't help. Now gear up and fight me. It'll draw in a crowd and catch her attention."

Not giving the smaller boy any time to take up a combative stance, Reiner charged him at the speed of a wrecking ball knocking into a wall, leaving no structure standing.

Although he was a pretty sly guy, Eren's reflexes weren't fast enough and the blond's clenched fist collided with his face, causing him to lose his balance and stumble a bit before regaining his posture.

"Do we…do we _really_ need to do this!?" The brunet asked, feeling helplessly drained by only one punch. It made him wonder if fighting for Annie was really worth it, but he knew what his choice was the second his hands turned into fists.

"I'm pretty much always right, _flower_ boy," Reiner retorted provocatively, hoping to rile up Eren with the nickname he hated the most. Luckily, the gardener was triggered as easily as a gun.

The flower boy clenched his teeth angrily and charged, "I'm not…a FUCKING FLOWER!"

Not only was it a surprise to the crowd that had gathered around them, but Eren as well that he was able to tackle Reiner to the ground. It made him feel in control and in power, but the tattooist wasn't going to give up that easily.

Just as fast as it came, Eren's control of the fight was shifted to the other when Reiner rolled them around so that he was straddling him,

"Gotta admit, you put up a good fight. Hell, you even managed to knock me off my feet, flow-"

"Plant," Someone said, approaching him.

Hearing the muffled voice, Eren felt his chance of winning coming back. Just as he was about to strike a final blow, Reiner was kicked on his ass by…a pointe shoe?

Now that the brute was off of him, he could see the one person he wanted to see: Annie.

Clad in worn-out pointe shoes, a long-sleeved black leotard, beige tights, and hair in a bun that was higher on her head than usual, the blonde stood over Eren for a minute as other stared.

"Is something wrong with the way I'm dressed?" She spat out, making the crowd disperse, "Grab my hand."

"Are you strong enough?"

"I knocked someone down who's half my size. Pay attention to the obvious, Eren."

The boy tried to grab her hand gently, feeling as if she was a delicate flower (no pun intended), but it was quite the opposite. Annie yanked him up with more force than Reiner, causing him to fall on top of her as they fell back to the ground.

Eren couldn't tell whether his face was flushed because the girl he liked was straddling him from above or if it was because he just fought the personification of strength. He concluded that it was probably a mix of the two things, but that didn't make him any less nervous.

"Uh…"

Ahh short chapters are short! Hope you enjoyed it though. Sorry to cut the romance, but that's saved for next chapter.


	6. Subconsciously

_This? No, this definitely isn't awkward at all_ , Annie thought to herself, still frozen in place. The feeling of her cotton-latex covered legs pinning the boy to the ground wasn't...exactly the worst possible situation she could be in, right?

The clamminess they had already felt by being drenched in sweat just became worse with each time they accidentally touched, even if it was just fabric to skin. However cheesy their situation seemed, it was reality and their eyes were locked.

A gym floor covered with dirt and perspiration was definitely not an ideal setting for whatever this was, but nothing mattered to either of them.

"...A-Annie? Hey, 'you okay?" Eren asked, reaching up and curling a lock of blonde hair that strayed from her now ruined bun around the back of her ear, letting his hand linger there for a moment.

Trying to conceal her flushed cheeks, she knew, was fruitless, but nonetheless she tried and turned away, "Why wouldn't I be? Aren't you the one on the ground right now?"

"Yeah, but still. I mean, you look kind of-"

"Nguh!"

After suddenly being cut off by her short groan, he worried he had said something to offend her, "N-Not that you don't look good! You look, uh, amazing! Well, you always do but I...oh."

Eren's eyes trailed up from his arm to his wrist and he noticed that the bracelet he wore with the key to open his gym locker attached to it was now stuck in her scrunchie, "Shit! Sorry Annie! Hold on, just let me-"

"Guh! J-Just slowly get up as I do, okay?" The blonde rushed out, writhing in pain.

"Okay, I'll try! Now I'll just move my other ar-"

"No, not like that! Just-"

"W-Wait, I got it! I just gotta-"

"Gah!" She whimpered, "You're going to make me bald with all the hair you're pulling out!"

"Is that even possib-" The gardener asked, but was quickly shut up as his other hand slipped and he fell back to the ground with a hard thud, dragging Annie by her attached hair tie to topple right over him, the tips of their noses directly touching.

About seventeen seconds of silence followed until Eren spoke, "Oh...it, uh, looks like the key isn't stuck anymore."

Although the room was vacant besides the two of them, the fallen duo felt as if they were being watched all around. She said no words in response, only staring directly into what he assumed was his soul with those beautiful glassy blue eyes; the boy felt he could simply drown in the deepness of them.

"Listen, Ann-"

"I have to go…" She briskly forced out, getting up from her place on the ground and tightening her bun.

 _She's doing it again...Why…_ "...do you always leave like this?"

The brunet realized he started saying what he was thinking halfway through and saw Annie stop where she was standing, about to open the door.

He surely couldn't stop now. No, not after finally saying what was on his mind, "Is there something wrong with me, Annie? You always leave whenever I get too close. Do you do this with everyone?"

"You say the word 'always' as if we've known each other for a long time but I barely know y-"

"Then why don't you get to know me!?" He practically shouted. The girl was as flaky as a crumb cake, but he wouldn't allow her to leave without an answer.

With each step she took back towards the exit, Eren moved towards her at twice the speed.

"Why do you even want to get to know me in the first place!?"

"Do I have to tell you everything, Annie!?" He prodded when suddenly she realized she hit the door and that the taller brunet was as close as before, closing her against the wall not by his hands, but with both of his forearms pressed against the exit.

"You can ask me anything and I'll answer, but I want to know one small thing about you and you just...you just leave! Do you know how that makes me feel!?"

"Like you're alone! If you would just quit smacking those soft lips for about twenty seconds I'd tell you why!"

"Then t-Wait...soft lips? You think they're soft?"

"I...I didn't say that. Consciously I didn't say that," The blonde protested as she bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed and turned away, only for him to pull it back around to face him.

"Y'know, sometimes you really should let your subconscious guide you, Annie. I think it likes me more than you do."

The girl's eyebrows wrinkled in disbelief, "What, do you talk to my subconscious now?"

"Well it seems to want to talk to me more than you so yeah, I guess I do."

"Oh really? Because my subconscious right now is saying 'Fuck you and your damn lips' right now."

Eren only slightly smirked and drew a bit closer, "Do you really want to have sex with my lips that badly, Annie? I mean, I don't think it's really possibl-"

"Just fucking kiss me before I knock your block o-Mnh!"

The tattooist's threats were shortened as his so-called "soft" lips quickly connected to hers. She expected it of course, but she hadn't anticipated how good it would feel.

As their mouths moved against each others, her strong nose brushed against his own; it was smooth and slick with sweat that had built up from before, making it easier for him to tilt her head, but he stopped.

"Any...A-Any reason why you made this so short, Planty?" She panted between every few words.

"Look, I-I like your nose, Annie, but it's hard to kiss you with it in the way."

"What do you suggest I do then? Chop it off?"

"N-No...b-"

"Then don't stop."

"If we're doing this then I want it to be as good as it feels for you as it does for me."

"Eren…," Annie sighed before ducking under him and walking backwards towards one of the machines and inching her finger as an invitation like it was some sort of secret only he would understand.

 _Maybe she's trying to be suggestive_ , He thought as he subconsciously followed with a dopey grin.

The blonde stopped at the machine Reiner was bench pressing on and slowly lowered herself onto the back one ligament of her spine at a time, "It'll be easier if you tried moving around it from above, right?"

Internally, Eren felt like he was on fire even though he hadn't kissed her for more than about fifteen seconds.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Wha...Doing what?"

"Making me want to kiss you...in more places than one...not only with my lips," Eren sputtered out awkwardly.

"That was seriously the worst innuendo I have ever heard, but I'll forgive you if you come over here in under five sec-"

"Here."

"How are you already on top of me?"

"Because...I...you know."

To shut him up before he looked like a completely and utter idiot, Annie reached her cold hands up, grabbed his face, and pulled him down onto her lips with such force that their teeth clinked.

"Guh! Shit, Eren, you're supposed to keep your mouth closed! You're not sucking my face of-"

"Shh. Just...let me make it up to you. Trust me, I won't knock your teeth out or hit your nose."

"I...Fine. Prove to me that you aren't only capable of watering plants."

"The only thing I'll be watering...I mean showering, is kisses."

His attempt to be alluring proved extremely pretentious.

"Ah...too much?"

"Yeah. Just kiss me already, damn it."

"Gladly."

As they continued, the two hardly noticed everything else around them...especially the large glass window that allowed outsiders to see them clear as day.


	7. Maieutics

"Explain to me again why a neuroscientist wants a tattoo?" Annie asked Reiner, slumping over the glass counter in the front of the shop.

"Look, kid, you know I don't control who comes in here. Even if I did, why would I turn 'em down? It's money."

The blonde glared at him with a look of utter betrayal and anger.

"I'm not a fucking kid. You're only a year older than me."

"Hate to break it to you, kiddo, but I'm twice your size," The owner spat out bluntly, giving the girl a noogie.

She only stared at him for a second while fixing her hair before responding harshly, "Hate to break it to you, asshole, but does it look like I care?"

DING

A gust of wind rolled in through the door as two people walked inside with definite presence. The taller of the two, a brunette with lab goggles around her head, and the other, a man she recognized from her...experience at the gym a week ago.

Seven days went by since it happened and Annie still wasn't able to process her actions at that time all. Was she really so weak as to let her guard down? Sure, the outcome was in her favor, but was it what she really wanted? Questions like that had been floating around in her mind, distracting her from her job, like they were now.

"...What the fuck is her deal? 'She blind or something?"

The woman, whom she could only assume was the scientist, sharply turned to her accomplice, bent down to his height, and whispered in his ear, "Levi! You aren't supposed to insult the blind! Being blind rewires their visual cortex, allowing them to hear you better! Geez, Shorty. Don't you remember me telling you that?"

"Out of all the worthless trivia shit you tell me? No. You drone on about that like it's your job."

"It is my job!"

He pinched the space between his eyebrows and moved to the desk, "Yeah, I know. You remind me about that every fucking time you add little tidbits to our conversations."

Upon reaching the buff parlor owner, Levi looked straight into his eyes, wanting to get right to the point so he could get this ordeal over with, "How fast can you inject ink into someone's skin?"

"Guessing this is your girlfriend?" Reiner heckled, amused by the thought of such an assertive man being dragged around by a carefree woman.

"Does it matter? I'm just here to get a da-"

"I sure am his girlfriend!"

Suddenly besides him, Hange latched onto his shoulder and coddled him so tightly it looked like they would fuse together.

"Yeah, it's kinda obvious," Annie quipped in a soft, almost unheard voice before the other woman left her spot next to her boyfriend and walked over to her.

"You're that Annie girl, right? Heard you just moved here. You like the city so far?"

"It's too windy, I smell pollution if I go too far south of here, and every business on this street has some cheesy ass name."

"Well…! That's quite observant! So are ya' gonna stick me with needles or are we gonna listen to them talk about protein shakes all day?"

Levi slowly turned to face her, "We weren't even fucking talking about protein shakes. Do I have to clear your ears out for y-"

"Nope! Alright see you later! Byeeeeeeee!" Hange rushed, quickly hooking her elbow around Annie's and dragging her to the ink rooms even though she had no idea where she was going, "So, uh, which one?"

"I'd say the one with my name on it."

"...Good point."

After promptly being forced into her own studio, Annie unhinged herself from Hange's unrelenting grip and sat the woman down. You'd think she would be some kind of personal trainer or something with muscles that large.

"I have two questions for you before I start. One, what do you want on your skin, and two, why did you ask specifically for me?"

"By applying maieutics, you'd know."

"Maie-?"

"Answering a question with another question. Y'see, I want a tattoo of some flowers and vines stemming from my shoulder to under my right breast. Asking a guy for that kind of thing can be a bit awkward, don't you think?"

Annie wanted to remind her that all tattoo artists were professional and didn't sexualize any of the body parts they were required to ink, but the brunette already lifted her white spaghetti strap shirt off and threw it across the room along with her nude colored bra.

"Why are you giving me that look? What, don't you need my shirt off for you to do this? I mean, if you wanna try doing it through the fabric, that's fine, just know you'll be paying for the stain."

"I'm not an idiot, I just meant that the floor isn't exactly clean. It's not like I sweep in here everyday."

"Ah, no problem. I usually get that shortie out there to do it for me anyways. Do you have your borf do it for you?"

Despite her confusion for the unknown term the other just used, the blonde decided against asking and began applying alcohol and antiseptic to disinfect the area. She knew she didn't have to talk that much to keep this woman satisfied; Hange was probably the type of person who would talk without end to the point of getting lost in their own words. For that, Annie was glad. Talking to customers was never her strong suit.

"I'm gonna guess you're wondering what that me-COLD!"

Annie softly scoffed as she wiped away the disinfectant, proceeding to pull out a large stencil of some flowers in front of the woman, "Well, l as far as I know, borf isn't in the dictionary. Maybe I should take another look at that large compilation of torn up trees and ink to find out if it is. Is this the kind of flower you want?"

"Ooh! A scabiosa! That looks great."

"Are you sure you want this? I don't know your pain tolerance, but getting this laser removed from your breast is probably going to hurt like hell. No second thoughts?"

"Nope!"

About six hours of casual banter with the occasional lecture from Hange about some subject having to do with the human brain went by before the tattoo was finished. Apparently for the scientist, this seemed to mean that they had some sort of "psychological connection" to each other. So much so, Hange's mind sparked an amazing idea.

"Hey, Annie. Wanna come to my Christmas party this weekend?"

"It's January 28th…"

"Precisely!" The brunette boasted, slowly grabbing her shirt, "That's the thing about Christmas parties; they're always so predictably planned. Because of this, I always try to plan it after. Plus, Levi's birthday is Christmas so he always gets a bit bummed out when I invite people over during that time."

"I'm guessing you live together then?" Annie asked as she cleaned up her work space, returning all of her equipment to the shelf.

"Well, he is my borf after all."

"Borf means boyfriend, right?"

"Now you're catching on! Alright, kid, I'm gonna leave the address at the front with Brock Lesnar and you can choose whether or not you wanna go. Gotta say, it won't be as broody without you there."

Hange walked back to the front only to find Levi sleeping on one of the leather couches with the latest addition of Muscle & Fitness resting over his face.

"How about I just give you it right now after I write it down?"

"As long as I'm getting paid."

After Annie's quip, Hange took a blank sheet of paper from the front counter and scribbled something somewhat legible while Levi stirred and sat up with a groan.

"Are you done yet, Shitty Glasses?"

"Geez, give me a rest, Levi. If you don't, I won't let you see my cool new tat!" She gested, pulling him to the door, entirely forgetting to pay.

Of course, Annie couldn't just let her go without payment. If she did, "Brock Lesnar" would beat her ass, "You didn't pay yet, Hange!"

From outside the door, the scientist yelled back before completely leaving with her dignified borf, "I guess you're gonna have to come to the party and get it then!"

You have got to be kidding me, Annie thought.


	8. I'll Take the Sweater

"Four-eyes, I swear to fucking god, if you don't turn that shit off I will take that CD player and throw it out the goddamn window!"

"Levi, we live in a one story house...I mean, you could do that, but nothing will kill Styx!"

"Aren't most of their members dead?"

"Levi! They are alive and well, so I suggest you take yourself and your Steely Dan CDs to the kitchen for time out and think about what you've done!"

That was what Annie heard through the thick wooden door: playful arguing that was probably the basis of their relationship.

Not wanting to wait for an end to something that was clearly ongoing, the blonde knocked heavily on the door. What followed was about fifteen seconds that consisted of mumbles, sighs, a facepalm, and the sound of footsteps walking over to her.

"Oh my god...Levi! She actually came! Holy sh-Oh shit, I was about to swear. That woulda been really unprofessional, right?"

"Did you...are you really unaware that you just..are you fucking kidding me, Hange? Just let her in, for fucks sake," The grump sighed.

Annie, however, had no intention of staying for whatever dumb old people activities they were doing.

"That's not necessary. Just give me the cash and I'll be on my w-"

"Eren! Hey, you made it!"

 _Eren!?_

Turning around slowly, Annie glanced up at the tall boy behind her. It made her wonder how she was so small in comparison. At the same time, though, she got a better look at his face.

 _Does he wear colored contacts or something? Why are his eyes so green? And he skin looks so soft...why do I want to touch it?_

"Hold on, you guys know each other? Oh thank god, I thought I was gonna have to do all those formal introductions and stuff. Last time I did that, Levi hit me on the head for saying I was the female counterpart of Bill Nye the Science Guy."

"Hange, we've been over this more than ten fucking times. You aren't Bill N-"

"Female counterpart!"

"I cannot believe I live with you by choice…" Levi sighed, flicking his finger at her side.

"Ouch! Leviii, that's not ni-Oh! You guys are still out there! Sorry about that! C'mon in, we got C2H6O."

Both Eren and Annie looked confused in their own way, but of course Hange was prepared for that.

"Ethanol. Alcohol. Ahh, whatever. C'mon, c'mon! I won't wait all day!" She enthused, pulling them both inside rather harshly.

About a minute passed in silence before Eren spoke up, "Um...Where is everyone? Isn't this a party or something?"

"Well yeah, obviously. You guys are just...hmm...an hour early?"

"An hour!?" They both happened to say at the same time, causing them to avert their eyes.

The tall woman laughed, "There's nothing wrong with being punctual, Eren. I just thought since you're always late, I might as well tell you to come earlier. I guess mine and Levi's before-party-sex-session will have to wait till later."

"Oi, Zoe! What the fuck are you telling them?" He shouted at her from where he retreated inside the house.

"Nothing, darling!"

"What did you just call me?"

Trying to ignore their lovers quarrel and Eren's awkward attempt at a conversation, Annie decided she might as well just drink herself into a stupor and pass out alone.

When she started making her way towards a bottle of vodka, however, the tan boy from before stopped her.

"Hey...Annie."

"Why are you acting so awkward? It's just a party."

"A-Awkward? Me? No, no, never! Haha...ha...haha...yeah."

The blonde squinted her eyes and stared up at him, unsure of what to make of his sudden behavior, as she tried to pour a glass of vodka for herself behind her back where he couldn't see.

"You look red. Are you drunk already? I never pegged you as an alcoholic."

"I'm not an alcoholic, I just, uh, feel a bit weird about meeting you at a place like t-Wait, what are you holding behind your back?"

 _Shit…_

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not, I'm just kind of curious now," Eren answered, trying to peek behind her.

His movements surprised her, ultimately causing her to lose some of her grip that was around the neck of the bottle, "You don't need to know what I'm h-"

 _ **SMASH**_

As the glass broke and shards slit her hands as they fell, Hange and Levi hurried in from the kitchen, both with different questions.

"Do you even fucking know how muc-"

"Are you okay!? Oh God, I'm gonna have to get my medicine kit out! Hold on, let me get it...Levi, where is it?"

"Just clean up the mess while I get it," He groaned as he picked up a dustpan and broom, put it by the mess, and went to the back of the house.

Bending down, Hange began sweeping up the glass, then noticed Annie's stained shirt, "Ahh, sorry about that. You can borrow one of Levi's holiday sweaters. He never wears them because he thinks they're 'too damn festive'."

"Sweater? No thanks, I'm fine with what I'm wearing," She declined before feeling Eren's presence still behind her.

"You can borrow my jacket if you want, An-"

"You know what, I think I'll take the sweater."


	9. Warmth

In the ten minutes it took her to clean the stain of vodka that dripped onto her skirt, about ten more people seemed to have come to the party. She was still tying her hair into pigtails, the ends now dampened by alcohol, when Hotel California by Eagles started playing.

Well, this song definitely isn't overplayed at parties. At least they aren't throwing audio players out of windows, Annie considered, walking out of the small bathroom into the crowded living room.

The space that once seemed so vacuous was filled with people she had seen before, even if she didn't bother to remember their names. Her way of remembering people was their occupation.

There's that bald guy and the girl with the ponytail...don't they own the cafe at the end of the road? Sprinkles? Sprangles? Probably.

Connie and Sasha looked like decent people to Annie, but she categorized them into the "if-you-aren't-spoken-to-then-don't-speak" group of acquaintances. Other groups included "you're-fine-if-you-shut-up", "thanks-for-being-avoidant", and "avoid-at-all-costs". Eren happened to be in the latter class.

"Nice sweater, Annie. It matches your...uh...your hair?"

"Oh, yes. I didn't know that Smirnoff-drenched hair went well with a red and white festive sweater. Thanks for the tip," She sassed back at him, leaning next to a wall that was illuminated by holiday lights.

"Sorry about that, again," Eren apologized, despite already doing so ten times before she went to change, "My mom always used to say I was too curious for my own good. At least it looks cute on you."

"Cute? I-It's just some ugly Christmas sweater."

"I...I meant you were cute, not the sweater. B-But you look cute in the sweater too! I, uh, I…sorry."

Feeling awkward and unsure what to say, the brunet looked down to the red cup filled almost to the brim with beer, decidedly tossing back the whole drink. He soon regretted that choice, now tasting the bitter liquid that burned at the back of his throat, making him cough loudly and drop the empty cup in his hand.

"Why the hell did you j-"

"EREN JAEGER! WHAT DID I JUST SEE YOU P-PUT DOWN YOUR HOLE?"

Storming towards him at an alarming speed was Mikasa, hair frizzy and clothes messed up. She looked like a bull after seeing a red cape.

"M-Mikasa? What ha-"

"Babe, wait! I'm sorry! I didn't know you don't like it," Jean whined as he followed his girlfriend, face drenched with beer.

Ignoring her boyfriend's apologies, the furious sister lunged toward her brother, "I'M TELLING...DAD!"

"Eren, get down!"

Everything happened at lightning speed, and before he knew it, Eren was tackled to the ground by Annie. At this point, the blonde straddling him was like a default position.

From where he laid, he couldn't tell whether or not the warm feeling in his stomach was butterflies or just...oh no. No, no, no, not in front of her.

This is the reason I don't drink, the boy told himself before quickly moving her off of him and vomiting into a nearby urn, This is also the reason that Levi Ackerman, sheriff of the Walls Police Department, is going to murder me in broad daylight.

"Are you...Are you done yet?" Annie asked wearily, hoisting him off the ground and putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Y-Yeah, I think I-"

"Don't lie to me, plant boy. You already ruined one of my shirts."

"But I'm not a human, Ann-Wait, no, yes I am. I'm human."

"Oh, for fucks sake, Eren."

To avoid the small man's wrath, she had no choice but to drag his drunk ass out of the one story abode and sit him down on the concrete porch. The music from inside was muffled as the door shut, leaving them with only the sounds of a suburban street and wind to listen to.

"If you're going to do it, do it again...but this time, not near me."

"Sorry...again. I really do apologize a lot, don't I? Heh, I'm a real screw up," He admitted, supporting his arms on his legs.

Covering a snort with her hand, she sat down besides him, "You can say that again. What possessed you to down that much beer in one sip?"

"I was...I was, uh, nervous. I didn't know what to say to you, Annie. Talking to you is like walking on eggshells. I keep feeling like I'm gonna mess up any second."

"Why do you think that? Am I that intimidating? I'm like...two ears smaller than you."

"Two ears?" He asked skeptically, unsure of the weird measurement, "'m like half a head, I guess, but it's not that about you that's scary."

I'm scary? How am I scary? I can barely touch the top of his head with my arms over my head, She wondered.

"What is it then?"

"Well, you did tackle me across a street when we first met. I didn't know what was scarier, getting run over by a car or having a really attractive girl jerk me to safety."

"Are you trying to say I'm as scary as being hit by a car?"

"Yes! I mean no! I mean, uh, I…"

"Stop sputtering like you can't form a proper sentence. I get what you're trying to say: you get nervous around me. I'll forgive the car comment because you called me attractive."

At times like these, Eren felt like the world was cracking. He was at a loss of what was different about Annie. With all the other girls he'd asked out, he was always so confident and stoic, but now he felt nervous and skittish.

The deadpan silence between them wasn't improved by the sound of the wind or muffled song by The Guess Who playing inside. It wasn't until she started pulling out her hair ties that he looked at her.

"Can you hold these? The only thing I wore with pockets was the thing you got wet."

"S-Sure…" He replied, holding his hands out in front of her.

The moment her pale fingers touched the palms of his hands, he found himself covering them with his own. She didn't jerk away, just looked up slowly into his eyes.

"You're hands are really cold, Annie. Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that...Why are your hands so warm?"

"I guess because I was drinking...or because I get nervous around you."

The girl didn't know why, but hearing that comment made her blithe. Annie didn't even ask before leaning against him, ultimately shocking the boy.

"You did...say I was cold, didn't you? It only makes sense seeing as how you're the warm one here."

What am I doing!? She mentally screamed at herself, Stop letting your guard down!

"Can you, uh, not do that?"

"What? I-I, uh, I'm sorry. I just thought you would want me t-"

"No, no, no, it's not that at all!" He interrupted, leaning back so she couldn't lay on him, "It's just that when you do that, it makes me want to do...uh, things."

"Things?"

"Intimate stuff. Y'know, like at the gym that one time? You probably don't want me to do that, considering I almost puked on you a few minutes ago."

As she sighed, she could see her breath as a white puff in the cold winter air. The blonde was just as confused about him as he was with her. He said he liked her, so then why is he resisting for only that reason.

"Do you really think I care?" She asked, leaning over him, arms pinned on the cold surface to his sides, "It's just alcohol. I've eaten Reiner's cooking, and let me tell you, nothing tastes worse than that."

It was now or never, do or die, or die trying to kiss the other.

Slowly letting her arms give way, Annie dropped down and let her cold chapped lips touch his. A feeling of warmth instantly rushed through her, the urgent desire for closer contact on both their minds.

Upon feeling her arms wrap around him, Eren started to lie back onto the ground, but felt the coarse surface and decided against it. Instead, he slid her onto his lap, lifted her up as she kissed him, and settled down on a soft patch of snow on the ground.

"Better?"

"Better."


End file.
